Metallurgical furnace.



'U. WEDGE. METALLURGICAL FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED I'EB. 28, 1914.

1,119,483,, Patented Dec. 1,1914.

2 BHEETS-SHEET 1.

U. WEDGE. METALLURGICAL FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28, 1914.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' more, Pennsylvania,

for use in UTLEY WEDGE, OF ABDMOBE, PENNSYLVANIA.

METALLURGICAL FURNACE.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

Application filed February 28, 1914. Serial No. 821,676.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1,.Ur'nnr WEDGE, a citizen of the United States,residing in Ardhave invented certain Improvements in MetallurgicalFurnaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that type of super.- posed hearth furnace inwhich stationary hearths alternate with rotating hearths, one object ofmy invention being to provide for the elfective heating of thestationary hearths in a furnace of the muiile type, another object beingto provide for the ready assembling or dismantling of the hearths ofthefurnace, and another object being to provide an'abundant supply ofheated air the treating chambers of the furnace. These objects I attainin the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a view, partly in verticalsecof a furnace constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig; 2 is ahorizontal section on the line a--a, Fig. l; Fig. dis -it horizontalsection on the line b-b=, Fig. 1;: Fig. 4 is an enlarged transversesectional view of a portion of the furnace; F g. 5 is a side elevationon a reduced scale of the furnace' and certain regenerators employed inconnection therewith, and Fig. 6 1s a plan view of Fig. 5.

'The main body or casing of the furnace is a rectangular structure 1,within which are a series of superposed fixed hearths 2, each extendingfrom end to end and from side to side of the structure 1, each of thesefixed hearths being supported in position by resting upon feet 3 tted tothe side walls of the furnace'and movable laterally in said openings sothat they can be projected inorder tosupport the hearths or retracted soas to remove'said support.

Thefeet 2 are of such size and are composed of such material that theywill not be destroyed by the heat to which they are subjected'.

Eaclr of the hearths is also, by preference, made in sections, of whichthere are three in ea'ch hearth in the present instance, each of thesesections having extending transversely throng it a chamberi l separatedinto two non-communicating portions by a central partition 5, and eachsection is also provided with an end wall or walls 6 where lateralopenings in by it is cut off from communication with the adjoiningsection or sections.

At one side of the furnace, in line with each section of the fixedhearths, are vertical lines 7 and at the opposite side of the furnace,in line with the fines 7, are like vertical flues 8, these fluescommunicating with'.

the

each -other through the chambers of hearth sections, as shown in Fig. 3..The fiues 7 are inlet the bottom with a fireplace 9' or other fuelburner which discharges products of com bustion into the lower portionof each flue 7 the latter distributing these products of combustion tothe chambers of the diiferent hearths 2 and the fines 8 collecting theproducts of combustion after they have circulated through said hearths 2and delivering them to a transverse fine 10 at the top of the furnace.

Each of the hearths 2 has therein a central opening through which passesa vertical flues and communicate at' shaft 11, the opening being ofconsiderably greater diameter than the shaft so' as to provide anannular passage around the latter, and said shaft having mounted upon ita series of rotating hearths 12, each of which occupies a position abovea corresponding fixed hearth, rotative movement being im parted to theshaft 11 and its hearths 12 in any suitable manner.

The central partition 5 in the heating chamber of each section of thefixed hearths surrounds the opening" in said section, as shown at 13 inFigs. 1 and 3, so that there is no communication between the heatingchambers of the hearth and the treating chambers of the furnace.

The fixed hearths 2 have depending rabbles 14 and the rotating hearths12 have depending rabbles 15, these rabbles being so disposed thatmaterial fed onto any one of the rotating hearths will be movedoutwardly thereon by the rabbles 14 and discharged over the edge of thehearth, while material deposited upon the outer portion of any sectionof the fixed hearths will be moved inwardly over the same and dischargedthrough the central opening therein onto the rotating hearth below;Material deposited upon the top hearth or roof of the furnace is openingtherein onto the uppermost rotating hearths, passes therefrom onto thefixed hearth below, from thelatterontothe rofed through a suitably lutedtatiu hear-the helovv, and so on throughout nace'. being finallydischarged from the hottoio hearth 2, Which in this case is the tophearth 2, without a heating n. ier therein, although not necessarilyconstructed.

top flue .10, into which the dues 8 u, comes the products of combustionto one or other of a pair of regenertl dispo id one at each end of thefurbeing regulated by valvesll' from the regenerator at the iuri'iaceWhen it is being fed egenerator at the opposite end of the The productsof combustion each regenerator to an old-take flue the base of the same.

is introduced into the bottom of each rater through. a pipe, 19 andescapes to top "cl each regcnerator into a flue h coimnunicates with theuppermost chamber of the furnace, as shown treating chamber id t 1clowermost one or more discharge flues 22 h the heated air and gases. afl1.1g through the various treatof the furnace. can escape into heHtI'ROSDllQfG or into suio 1 us in Which theyare utilized.

prov ded with valves 28 Wher l cool in communication with enerators 16at will, the "nvardly through the heatts of one regenerator While thecombustion are being-v passed 1 through the contents of the tor. o thata continuous supair available. is 2 can be readily removed. furnace bymeans of a crane or the same. the supporting feet ion: above "the upafter the removal of said hearth so as not to interfere with the removalof the second hearth ant so on throughout the T he heaiths 12 can bedetached in the shaft d removed vertically -;tcly with rths 2, or (theraband 15 bein removed) the shaft "ic raised y until each hearth 12ntacas with the he 52 above and the .iic series oi hearths may then helifted oin *"l furnace, the feet 3 being" Withlaterally so as nt tointerfere with eincval of the hearths. makingcf the hearths in sectionsand the provision of X I of shafts, one for each so. ion of the hearth,serves to lessen the Weight upon any one of the shafts ecting theremoval of the hcarths in lance \vi' h the method last described. Iiithe hcarths 2 are notthus divided into sections lilting movement may heimparted. to the three suitable form 01 hoisting mechanism.

-rinost hearth being with 'Ptherein.

shafts siimlltaneously by any Although, in practice the outer casing and"each of the rotating; shafts will carry a series of superposed hearthsmy invention might be embodied in a furnace in Which the outer casingand each of the rotating shafts had but a single hearth.

claim:

1. A furnace consisting of a casing having a stationary hearth thereinWith a plurality of openings therethrough. and a plurality of rotatingshafts extending through said openings, and carrying hearths whichalternate with and lap the fixed hearths.

2. A furnace consisting of a casing having a series of superposedstationary hearths therein, each With a plurality of openingstherethrough, and a plurality of rotating shafts extending through saidopenings and ea h carrying a series of superposed hearths whichalternate With and lap the stationary hearths.

A furnace consisting of a casing having a stationary hearth therein Witha plurality of openings therethi'oug and a plurality of rotating" shaftsextending through said. openings, and carrying hearths which alternatewith and lap the stationary hearth said stationz-u'y hearth having; apassage therethrou gh, and the casing! of the furnace having inlet andoutlet fines communicating with said passage.

A furnace consisting of a casing having a series of superposedstationary hearths therein, each with a plurality of openingstherethrough plurality of rotating shafts extending; through said.openings and each carrying a series of superposed hearths whichalternate with. and lap the stationary.

hearths, each of said stationary hearths hay mg a passage therethrougghand the casing of the furnace having inlet and outlet fiuescommunicating with said passages. 1

5. A furnam consisting of a casing; having a series of superposedstationary hearths each with a plurality of openings therethrough. and aplurality of rotating shafts extending through said openings. and eachcarrying a series of superposed hearths alternating With and lapping thestationary hear-the, both stationary and rotating hearths havingdepending rabbles for actins upon the material on a hearth below.

6. A :t'urnace consistingof a casing having a series of su erposedhearths therein. and inwardly projecting feet upon which said hearthsare'supported so as to he vertically removable. l. A furnaceconsistingof a casing having a series of superposed hearths therein, andinwardly proiectina' but laterally removable feet upon which saidhearths are mounted so as to be vertically removable.

8. A furnace consistingofacasing having therein a stationary hearthcomposed of separable'sections disposed end to end,'-and carriedrespectively by said casing and by .p

means for movably mounting each of said sections in the casingindependently of the others.

9. A furnace having a casing with a series of superposed stationaryhearths therein, each composed of a series of sections disposed end toend, the casing having inwardly projecting feet for each sectionugiereby said sections are vertically remova e.

10. A furnace having a casing with a series of superposed stationaryhearths therein, each composed of a series of sections disposed end toend, the casing having inwardly projecting and laterally removable feetfor each section.

11. A furnace having a casing and a series of rotating vertical shaftstherein, hearths said shafts, the casing hearth having'a plurality ofopenings therein, one for each of the rotating vertical shafts, and thefixed and rotating hearths lapping one another, said casing havinghearth supports from which the hearth is vertically removable.

12. A furnace having a casing and a series of superposed hearthstherein, each having a of openings in it, a rotating vertical shaftpassing through each of said openings, a series of superposed hearthscarried by each of said shafts and alternating with and lapping thehearths of'the casing. said casing having supports for each of itshearths from which supports said hearths are vertically removable.

13. A furnace having a casing with a series of superposed of a series ofsections disposed end to end and each of said sections having an openingthereplurality in, rotating vertical shafts passing throng said openingsand each having a series of superposed hearths mounted upon it. whichhearths alternate with and overlap those of the casing, said casinghaving supports for each section of each hearth from which sup orts saidsections are vertically removable. In testimony whereof, I have signedmy name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

UTLEY WEDGE.

Witnesses KATE A. BEADLE, I'IAHILTON D. TURNER.

hearths, each composed

